1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus for xe2x80x9coptically extrudingxe2x80x9d portions of an image displayed on a screen and displaying the xe2x80x9cextrudedxe2x80x9d images on the surface of image guides placed on the screen and able to be moved freely over it.
2. Description of the Related Art
Optical image guides such as coherent bundles of optical fibers, fibrous crystals, or glass mosaics are known. Such optical materials and devices optically carry images between faces cut across the array fibers or mosaics and give view angles exceeding what can be achieved through the sole means of lenses, prisms, or mirrors.
The distinctive feature of fiber bundles and mosaics is that an image entering an extremity of the fiber bundle etc. appears to radiate from the other extremity as if it originated there.
Fiber bundles are practically used as image carriers for such specific applications as medical and industrial inspection, sometimes relying on an electronic camera as an image amplifier. Glass mosaics are also used as TV screen flatteners.
Although the initial impetus for the development of fiber optics technology originated from the idea of carrying images optically, the fields of application of such fiber bundles and glass mosaics have remained rather confined.
An object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus for xe2x80x9coptically extrudingxe2x80x9d a portion of an image displayed on a screen and displaying it on the surface of an image guides of a shape or size resulting from a combinations of a fiber bundle together with a supporting screen. Preferably, in the present invention, the screen has a flat surface.
In the terminology of the present invention, xe2x80x9coptical extrusionxe2x80x9d refers to a process through which a part of an image displayed on the screen is transported optically and displayed on a display surface different in dimension from the screen surface thereby physically adding a third dimension to the screen""s planar image.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an imaging apparatus for generating an image on a screen in such a way that an extruded part of the screen image appears correctly on the image guide whatever the location or motion of the image guide over the screen.
To achieve the above objects, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an imaging apparatus for optically extruding a portion of a screen image and displaying the extruded image on a surface different in dimension from that of the screen, which comprises a display device having a screen on which an image is displayed and an optical device placed on the surface of the screen, receiving a portion of the image displayed on the surface of the screen at one end, and outputting the received image to another end which is different in dimension from the surface of the screen.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an imaging apparatus comprising a display device having a screen on which an image is displayed and an optical device placed on the surface of the screen, receiving a portion of the image displayed on the surface of the screen at one end, converting the received image, and outputting the converted image to another end which is different in dimension from the surface of the screen.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an imaging apparatus comprises a display device having a screen on which an image is displayed, an optical device placed on the surface of the screen, receiving a portion of the image displayed on the surface of the screen at one end, and outputting the received image to another end which is different in dimension from the surface of the screen, and an image synthesis processor for generating an image of a predetermined character to be displayed on the screen and adding the image of the character to the image of a background in a predetermined position with a predetermined orientation.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an imaging apparatus comprises a display device having a screen on which an image is displayed, an optical device placed on the surface of the screen, receiving a portion of the image displayed on the surface of the screen at one end, and outputting the received image to another end which is different in dimension from the surface of the screen, a sensor for acquiring a position and orientation of the optical device over the screen, and an image synthesis processor for generating an image of a character to be displayed on the screen and adding the image of the character to the image of a background in a predetermined position with a predetermined orientation in response to the position and orientation of the optical device acquired by the sensor.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for optically extruding a portion of an image displayed on a screen and displaying the extruded image on a surface different in dimension from the surface of the screen by using an optical device placed on the surface of the screen, receiving a portion of the image displayed on the surface of the screen at one end, and outputting the received image to another end which is different in dimension from the screen surface, comprising a step of a sensing process for acquiring a position and orientation of the optical device over the screen, a step of an image synthesis process for generating an image of a character, adding the image of the character to an image of a background at a position and an orientation in response to the position and orientation of the optical device, and a step of a process for displaying the synthesized image on the screen.
In the present invention, preferably the optical device is made of a bundle of optical fibers, a fibrous crystal, or a glass mosaic. The surface of the other end of the optical device is formed to any shape, size, and orientation. Furthermore, preferably the screen has a flat surface.